Eight decades after the Red Sox orchestrated the worst transaction in baseball history, selling a young Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees, they've blown it again by watching Rodriguez, the game's best all-around player, slip from their grasp and join their reviled rivals.

The Rodriguez-to-the-Yankees trade came closer to fruition on Sunday as the dreadful Texas Rangers, admitting the 10-year, $252 million contract they gave A-Rod was a mistake, parted with the shortstop after only three seasons. The deal was approved by the players' union and will be official once OK'd by Commissioner Bud Selig, probably today.

The Yankees are sending All-Star second baseman Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named later to the Rangers, and Rodriguez has agreed to move to third base because of shortstop Derek Jeter's presence, even though A-Rod won two straight Gold Glove awards.

He's due $179 million, and the Rangers agreed to pay $67 million just to get the 2003 American League MVP off their hands.

"It's another challenge," new Boston pitcher Curt Schilling wrote on a fan Web site, "but after 85 years, did any of you think that getting over this final hurdle and winning it all was gonna be a cakewalk? No, it'll be more fun this way."

The Red Sox have had a bittersweet offseason, acquiring Schilling and former A's closer Keith Foulke but failing to land Rodriguez in a proposed trade of the game's two biggest contracts that would have sent Manny Ramirez to Texas.

The players' union didn't approve the restructuring of Rodriguez's contract because its value would have lessened by $4 million a year. Also, the Red Sox refused to provide cash relief to ease the pain of Ramirez's contract.

So talks ended, and two weeks ago, the Rangers named Rodriguez their team captain, a title he obviously accepted without much pride because he told his agent, Scott Boras, that he'd accept a deal to the Yankees and be willing to switch positions.

In the past few days, general managers Brian Cashman of the Yankees and John Hart of the Rangers ironed out the deal, with owners George Steinbrenner and Tom Hicks agreeing on the financial parameters. Rodriguez will get all his money, but it'll be back-loaded. By agreeing to revise his contract (the present-day value is $5 million less), he'll get a hotel suite on the road, have his Web site linked to the Yankees' site and have all deferred money guaranteed during a work stoppage.

He'll also have to change his number because 3 is retired.

The trade was so earth-shattering, it seems, that President Bush, former owner of the Rangers, felt compelled to comment while attending the Daytona 500, saying, "I was just as surprised as the Yankee fans and the Boston Red Sox fans when I opened up my paper today. It obviously is a big deal. A-Rod's a great player, and the Yanks are going to be a heck of a team with him in the infield."

The A's followed the news closely. They'll see less of Rodriguez because he's gone from their division, but the playoff race figures to be tougher. Both the Yankees and Red Sox are capable of winning 100 games, making it likely the wild card will come from the East.

On the other hand, Eric Chavez is no longer on the Yankees' wish list. The Oakland third baseman, who can be a free agent after next season, was a target of Cashman, who called A's GM Billy Beane this winter to ask about Chavez's availability.

Beane laughed off the question. Shortly thereafter, the Yankees announced their third baseman, Aaron Boone, tore a knee ligament playing pickup basketball and probably will miss the entire season.

The Yankees' payroll will be about $190 million, and the average annual salaries for their four infielders -- Rodriguez ($25 million), Jeter ($18.9 million), Jason Giambi ($17.1 million) and Enrique Wilson ($700,000) will exceed Oakland's entire payroll.

Under terms of the trade, the Yankees will back-load A-Rod's contract and pay him $15 million each of the next three seasons, $16 million in 2007 and 2008, $17 million in 2009 and $18 million in 2010.

He'll have $1 million deferred in each of the next four seasons, payable in 2011.

He'll also receive checks from the Rangers, who'll pay $3 million in 2004, $6 million in 2005 and 2006, $7 million in 2007, $8 million in 2008, $7 million in 2009 and $6 million in 2010. That amounts to $43 million, and the remaining $24 million (of the $67 million the Rangers agreed to pay) will be deferred.

The Rangers still owe Rodriguez deferred money from the past three years and $4 million of his $10 million signing bonus. They'll be paying through 2025.

When it's all over, the Rangers will have paid $140 million for three years of A-Rod, who didn't get them out of the cellar.

CHART (1):

Pricey lineup
The Yankees' projected starting lineup and its salaries, based on average
annual salary over lifetime of contract:
CF Kenny Lofton $3.1 million
SS Derek Jeter $18.9 million
3B Alex Rodriguez $25 million
1B Jason Giambi $17.1 million
RF Gary Sheffield $13 million
DH Bernie Williams $12.5 million
LF Hideki Matsui $7 million
C Jorge Posada $10.2 million
2B Enrique Wilson $700,000
Total $107.5 million
CHART (2):
Expensive infield
The Yankees' projected infield will make $71.9 million next year (based
on average annual salaries of contracts), which is more than 14 teams paid
their entire 40-man roster last year:
Lowest 2003 payrolls
Tampa Bay $31.7 million
Montreal $45.9 million
Milwaukee $47.3 million
Kansas City $48.4 million
A's $56.6 million
San Diego $57.9 million
Cleveland $58.1 million
Detroit $59.0 million
Toronto $61.2 million
Pittsburgh $62.3 million
Florida $63.3 million
Cincinnati $65.1 million
Minnesota $65.3 million
Chicago White Sox $71.3 million